Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhuhai and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $1,372 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
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Zhuhai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
Learn more

Almaty Living Index

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Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zhuhai and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zhuhai and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $787 per month in Zhuhai vs $1,372 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhuhai $787
Almaty $1,372

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Zhuhai vs $2,142 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhuhai $1,310
Almaty $2,142

A family of three spends $1,833 per month in Zhuhai vs $2,913 in Almaty, rent included.

Zhuhai $1,833
Almaty $2,913

Zhuhai is about 43% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zhuhai sits 42% below the global median, while Almaty is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.31

$13.16 ₸5,949

-79.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.77 ¥199

$44.86 ₸20.3K

-33.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.26

$8.90 ₸4,022

-40.67%

Cappuccino

$3.23 ¥21.58

$3.25 ₸1,469

-0.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ¥3.16

$1.41 ₸639

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.88 ₸399

-60.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.11

$3.35 ₸1,513

-63.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.46

$4.04 ₸1,827

-46.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$1.69 ₸762

-5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$0.86 ₸390

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$2.03 ₸917

-45.81%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.38

$2.43 ₸1,100

-30.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.23 ¥28.27

$12.46 ₸5,632

-66.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.34

$6.71 ₸3,033

-65.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.85 ¥25.68

$10.85 ₸4,905

-64.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$1.80 ₸813

-27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$2.25 ₸1,018

-73.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$2.91 ₸1,314

-83.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$2.75 ₸1,243

-45.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.08

$0.75 ₸337

1.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.10

$0.55 ₸248

-16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$1.62 ₸732

-80.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.05 ₸474

-59.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.68

$2.58 ₸1,167

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.68 ¥24.57

$11.15 ₸5,042

-67.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$1.21 ₸547

-49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$2.44 ₸1,104

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.87

$0.26 ₸117

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.07 ¥60.6

$22.03 ₸9,957

-58.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.35 ₸611

9.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.64 ₸288

-42.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 ¥48.27

$11.16 ₸5,044

-35.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$0.72 ₸324

70.83%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$15.5K ¥103.2K

$22.5K ₸10.2M

-31.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$13.7K ¥91.4K

$30.3K ₸13.7M

-54.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$56.1 ¥375

$91.8 ₸41.5K

-38.91%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.88 ¥66.0

$10.66 ₸4,820

-7.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.63 ¥111

$17.86 ₸8,072

-6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 ¥546

$70.3 ₸31.8K

16.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.35 ¥209

$27.60 ₸12.5K

13.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ¥50.6

$6.78 ₸3,064

11.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$521 ¥3,480

$449 ₸202.9K

16.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K ¥159.4K

$12.1K ₸5.5M

97.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.35 ¥196

$89.9 ₸40.7K

-67.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.57 ¥271

$47.02 ₸21.3K

-13.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥479

$142 ₸64.1K

-49.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ¥603

$133 ₸60.0K

-31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ¥2,909

$805 ₸363.7K

-45.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,873

$500 ₸225.9K

-43.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ¥6,042

$1,429 ₸645.9K

-36.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 ¥4,377

$904 ₸408.8K

-27.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,597 ¥30.7K

$2,503 ₸1.1M

83.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,882 ¥19.2K

$1,559 ₸704.7K

84.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,045 ¥6,977

$870 ₸393.3K

20.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

20.65

-83.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Zhuhai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Zhuhai

$280 35.7%

Almaty

$500 36.4% 78.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Zhuhai

$119 15.1%

Almaty

$250 18.3% 110% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Zhuhai

$104 13.3%

Almaty

$185 13.5% 77.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Zhuhai

$97 12.3%

Almaty

$84 6.1% 13.5% $13

Eating Out

Zhuhai

$90 11.5%

Almaty

$205 14.9% 127% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhuhai

$83 10.5%

Almaty

$120 8.8% 45.7% $38

Getting Around

Zhuhai

$13 1.6%

Almaty

$28 2% 113% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $436 in Zhuhai versus $805 in Almaty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Zhuhai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Zhuhai versus $45.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $119 vs $250 – making Zhuhai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

2 h behind Zhuhai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,207,090

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zhuhai Almaty 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhuhai
Almaty

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zhuhai vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,180 per month in Zhuhai and $2,058 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhuhai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Zhuhai and $45.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $787 in Zhuhai and $1,372 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 74%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhuhai, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Almaty at $1,372. In Zhuhai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhuhai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Zhuhai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.